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Jonathan Winters, who was considered one of the top comedians of the 60s, 70s and 80s, has passed away of natural causes on Thursday at his home in Montecito, California. He was 87 years old. The actor has appeared on such shows as "The Carol Burnett Show," "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," "The Jonathan Winters Show," "Mork and Mindy," and "The Twilight Zone." He also starred in such movies as "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "Smurfs" and the upcoming "Smurfs 2." Over the years, Winters received countless award nominations. He won a Grammy for his comedy albums and an Emmy for his supporting role in the "Davis Rules" sitcom. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World."

Los Angeles – Jonathan Winters, one of the most influential comedians of the past two generations, has died of natural causes on April 11th at his home in Montecito, California. His characteristic schizophrenic comic style inspired modern funnymen like Robin Williams, George Carlin and Jim Carrey. He was 87 years old.

The career of Jonathan Winters spanned from 1948 to the present, during which his freaky, energetic expression of humor had its own unique form. A fixture on such legendary television shows such as “The Tonight Show” (with both Jack Paar and Johnny Carson), “The Dean Martin Show” and “Hollywood Squares,” Winters would often appear as his alter ego Maude Frickert, a sharp tongued old lady character. It wasn’t just an act, as during his early career he spent time in mental institutions, and was diagnosed with manic depression.

Jonathan Winters, a comedian and actor who was a TV staple in the 1960s and '70s, has died.

Winters, whose credits include "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" and "Mork and Mindy," died Thursday (April 11) at his home in Montecito, Calif, TMZ reports. He was 87.

Winters, a native of Dayton, Ohio, served in World War II and worked in radio in Ohio for several years before breaking into television in the late 1950s. He was a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show," dating back to original host Steve Allen, and recorded more than a dozen comedy albums.

He also fronted a pair of shows himself, "The Jonathan Winters Show" from 1967-69 and "The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters," where he showcased comedic characters like the surprisingly hip elderly woman Maude Frickert and a rube named Elwood P. Suggins. He won an Emmy in 1992 for the ABC comedy "Davis Rules.

Beloved film and TV actor Jonathan Winters passed away last night at the age of 87, at his home in Montecito, California. The comedian passed from natural causes while surrounded by friends and family members.

Jonathan Winters - an improvisational genius and the comedic spiritual godfather to a generation of younger comics, including Robin Williams, Jim Carrey and the late Andy Kaufman - died of natural causes Thursday night. He was surrounded by family and friends at his home in Montecito, Calif., the Associated Press reports. He was 87. Known for the wild array of characters he could create in a flash - his naughty old lady Maude Frickert was a Tonight Show headliner who routinely broke up hosts Jack Paar and then Johnny Carson - Winters, playing doltish truck driver Lennie Pike, stole the all-star 1963 movie It's a Mad,

Jonathan Winters, once described by “Tonight Show” host Jack Paar as “pound for pound, the funniest man alive” and a comedian whose freeform work with multiple voices and personalities presaged the antics of comics such as Robin Williams, died of natural causes Thursday in Montecito, Calif. at 87.

A pioneer of improvisational standup comedy, with an exceptional gift for mimicry, a grab bag of eccentric personalities and a bottomless reservoir of creative energy, he was introduced to millions of new fans in 1981 as the son of Williams’ goofball alien and his earthling wife in the final season of ABC’s “Mork and Mindy.” He appeared in numerous films including “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” and did extensive voice work on toons including “The Smurfs.”

Born Jonathan Harshman Winters III in Dayton, Ohio, Winters was raised mostly by his divorced mother, a radio personality in Springfield, Ohio, and showed an early gift for mimicry.

Longtime family friend Joe Petro III told the Associated Press that the Ohio native died Thursday night at his Montecito, CA, home of natural causes. He was surrounded by family and friends.

"He was just a great friend and I was very lucky to be able to work with him for all the years I did," said Petro, an artist and print maker who collaborated with Winters for decades on numerous art projects. "We've lost a giant and we're really going to miss him."

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Winters -- who appeared in countless movies and TV shows over the years -- was known for his improvisation skills and character creations that inspired A-list comic actors including Robin Williams, Jim Carrey and others.

In the mid-1950s, his The Jonathan Winters Show pioneered the emerging videotape technology that allowed stunts such as showing up as two

Peter Graves who starred as Jim Phelps on the hit TV series "Mission Impossible," and more recently served as alternating host of the A&E series "Biography," has died.

The actor died Sunday of an apparent heart attack outside his Los Angeles home, a week away from his 84th birthday.

Graves was the younger brother of "Gunsmoke" star James Arness, a TV icon from the '50s. Graves is perhaps also best remembered by Baby Boomers as the ranch owner on the popular Saturday morning TV series, "Fury," the adventures of a boy and his horse. More recently, Graves was featured in the opening scene of "Men in Black II."

Playing against his image as a tall, silver-haired authority figure, Graves co-starred as Captain Oveur in the zany comedies "Airplane!" (1980) and "Airplane II: The Sequel" (1982). Along with such serious acting figures as Robert Stack and, at the time, Leslie Nielsen,

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